Ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu, unaweza kusahau kufanya kazi kwa bidii.

If you depend only on the lottery, you can forget to work hard.

Breakdown of Ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu, unaweza kusahau kufanya kazi kwa bidii.

• kuweza: to be able
• kusahau: to forget
• kufanya kazi: to work
• tu: only
• bahati nasibu: the lottery
• ukitegemea: if you depend
• kwa bidii: hard

Questions & Answers about Ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu, unaweza kusahau kufanya kazi kwa bidii.

What does ukitegemea mean exactly, and how is it built?

Ukitegemea comes from the verb kutegemea (to depend/rely on).

It is formed like this:

• u- = subject prefix for “you (singular)”
• -ki- = conditional/when marker
• -tegemea = verb stem “depend”

So ukitegemea literally means “when you depend” or “if you depend”.

In English we need two words (“when/if” + verb), but in Swahili the subject + -ki- inside the verb already expresses that idea.

Why is there no separate word for “you” (like wewe) in the sentence?

In Swahili, the subject is normally shown by a prefix on the verb, not by a separate pronoun.

• Ukitegemea = u- (you) + -ki-
  • -tegemea
• Unaweza = u- (you) + -naweza

Because “you” is already included in u-, it would usually be redundant to say wewe.

You can say Wewe ukitegemea… for emphasis (like “YOU if you rely…”), but it’s not required.

What is the difference between bahati and bahati nasibu?

• Bahati on its own means “luck” or “good fortune”.
• Bahati nasibu is a set phrase meaning “lottery” or “pure chance / random luck”.

The word nasibu relates to chance or a lottery. So:

• kutegemea bahati = to depend on luck (in general)
• kutegemea bahati nasibu = to depend on random luck, like a lottery, rather than effort or planning

In this sentence, bahati nasibu emphasizes the idea of blind luck or luck of the draw, not just any kind of good fortune.

What does tu mean in bahati nasibu tu, and what does it modify?

Tu means “only / just / merely”.

In bahati nasibu tu, it is attached to bahati nasibu, so the idea is:

• “only luck”, “just luck”, “nothing but luck”

So the clause ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu means:

• “if you rely on only pure luck”,
• “if you just rely on luck”

If you moved tu, you’d slightly change what it seems to modify. For example:

• Ukitegemea tu bahati nasibu – still understandable, but now tu feels more attached to ukitegemea (“if you only rely on luck”).
• Ukitegemea bahati tu – “if you rely only on luck” (without the nuance of nasibu).

In practice, bahati nasibu tu nicely emphasizes “only random luck.”

How does unaweza kusahau work? Why two verbs in a row?

Unaweza kusahau is built from:

• u- = you (subject prefix)
• -naweza = can / are able
• kusahau = to forget

In Swahili, modal ideas like “can / be able to / might” are often expressed with a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive:

• Ninaweza kuja – I can come
• Anaweza kujaribu – He/she can try
• Unaweza kusahau – You can / may forget

So unaweza kusahau literally = “you-can to-forget”, which corresponds to English “you can forget / you might forget”.

Why is it kusahau kufanya kazi, with two ku- forms in a row?

Both kusahau and kufanya are in the infinitive (dictionary) form:

• kusahau = to forget
• kufanya = to do / to make

In Swahili, you can chain infinitives like this when one action is the object of another:

• kusahau kufanya kazi – to forget to do work
• kuanza kusoma – to begin to read
• kupenda kula – to like to eat

So unaweza kusahau kufanya kazi = “you can forget to work” (literally, “you can forget to do work”).

What does kwa bidii mean, and why do we need kwa?

Bidii means “effort / diligence / hard work”.

To turn many nouns into adverb-like expressions (manner), Swahili often uses kwa + noun:

• kwa haraka – quickly (with speed)
• kwa uzuri – nicely / beautifully
• kwa sauti kubwa – loudly (with a loud voice)
• kwa bidii – diligently, with effort, hard

So:

• kufanya kazi kwa bidii = “to work hard”, literally “to do work with effort.”

You normally do not say kufanya kazi bidii; the kwa is what makes bidii function adverbially here.

Could the sentence use a simple future, like utasahau, instead of unaweza kusahau?

Yes, but it would change the strength of the statement.

• Ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu, utasahau kufanya kazi kwa bidii.
  → “If you rely only on luck, you will forget to work hard.”
  This sounds more certain; the forgetting is presented as a likely consequence.

• Ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu, unaweza kusahau kufanya kazi kwa bidii.
  → “If you rely only on luck, you may / can end up forgetting to work hard.”
  This is slightly softer, expressing possibility or tendency, not a guaranteed result.

Both are grammatically correct; they just differ in degree of certainty.

Is the sentence talking about the present, the future, or a general truth?

The structure ukitegemea … unaweza kusahau … is best understood as describing a general truth / general tendency:

• “Whenever you rely only on luck, you may forget to work hard.”
• “If you (in general) depend only on luck, you may (in general) forget to work hard.”

The -ki- form (ukitegemea) often expresses “whenever / if (in general)”, rather than a single, specific future event. Paired with unaweza, it naturally gives a general rule or warning.

Can I change the clause order to start with Unaweza kusahau…?

Yes, you can say:

• Unaweza kusahau kufanya kazi kwa bidii ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu.

This is also correct. Swahili allows some flexibility in clause order.

• Original: Ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu, unaweza kusahau…
  → Emphasizes the condition first (“If you rely on luck…”).

• Reordered: Unaweza kusahau… ukitegemea bahati nasibu tu.
  → Emphasizes the consequence first (“You may forget… if you rely on luck only.”).

The meaning is essentially the same; it’s mostly about which part you want to highlight first.

Is bahati nasibu always two words, or can it be written as one?

It is normally written as two words: bahati nasibu.

It behaves like a fixed expression / compound noun:

• kupiga bahati nasibu – to play the lottery
• tiketi ya bahati nasibu – a lottery ticket

You would not normally merge them into one word in standard writing. They are two words that function as one concept (lottery / random luck).

Are there other ways to say “depending only on luck” in Swahili?

Yes, several natural alternatives include:

• Ukitegemea bahati tu… – If you rely only on luck…
• Ukitegemea tu bahati… – If you only rely on luck…
• Ukitegemea bahati peke yake… – If you rely on luck alone…
• Ukitegemea bahati pekee… – If you rely on luck only…

Bahati nasibu tu specifically stresses random, lottery-like chance, while bahati tu / bahati peke yake is just “luck only” without that extra nuance of randomness.